1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a machining system and a machine controller in which a moving robot loads and unloads of an article with respect to a machining device.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a production site, there are cases in which it is desired to load an unmachined article with respect to a machining device, such as a machine tool, and unload the machined article from the machining device using a robot. Therefore, it is necessary to install a robot in the vicinity of a loading/unloading port of the article in the machining device and communicably connect a controller which controls the robot (hereinafter referred to as robot controller) and a controller which controls the machining device (hereinafter referred to as machine controller) to each other. Further, it is also necessary to create in advance setting data and robot operation programs for allowing the robot to perform loading and unloading of the article with respect to the machining device, and store the same in the robot controller.
Since such installation and operation setting of the robot is difficult for a user of the machining device, it has been necessary for a user of the machining device to request an integrator specialized in robots at a cost so as to enable the robot to be used. Also when it is necessary to remove the robot from the machining device in accordance with a change of a production process, a removing operation of the robot has been a difficult operation for a user of the machining device. Thus, using the robot so as to load and unload the article with respect to the machining device has not been easy for a user of the machining device.
Then, as a technique for enabling easy use of the robot for a user of the machining device, there are, for example, Japanese Patent No. 4676544 and Japanese Patent No. 5160700.
Japanese Patent No. 4676544 discloses a robot controller for controlling a robot which feeds and takes out a workpiece with respect to a machine tool controlled by a machine tool controller. Further, in Japanese Patent No. 4676544, the robot controller is configured so as to obtain information relating to the machine tool from the machine tool controller through a communication network and display the information relating to the machine tool on a machine tool-related screen of a display section of a teach pendant.
In addition, Japanese Patent No. 5160700 discloses an NC machine tool system including an NC machine tool; an operation panel for the NC machine tool, an articulated robot disposed above the NC machine tool, a program storage element which stores programs for operating the articulated robot, and a robot controller which controls the articulated robot in accordance with the programs. Further, according to Japanese Patent No. 5160700, the operation panel includes a switch element which is operated to execute a program so as to operate the articulated robot, and the robot controller is configured to control the articulated robot so as to return the articulated robot along a movement path which is programmed in a program as executed by operating the switch element from a current position to a standby position.